Thirteen Reasons Why

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

- 5 stars

Thirteen Reasons Why is one of the best young adult books I have read in a long time. It tells two stories – one about Hannah Baker, a 17-year-old girl who, by the end of the first chapter we already know, has committed suicide; the other about Clay Jensen, a friend of Hannah who receives a mysterious package of audio tapes in the mail and starts to listen.

The two stories begin to intertwine as Clay finds out the tapes were left by Hannah – each tape is a dedicated to a specific person and each tape tells a “reason why” she killed herself. Hannah’s reasons start out fairly minor, mostly involving rumors and pranks, but they rapidly become much more serious until Clay finally gets the complete picture of what led Hannah to make the ultimate decision.

Thirteen Reasons Why is an extraordinarily well-written and well thought out novel. It is a page turning thriller and an emotional roller coaster. It treats a very sensitive subject with thoughtfulness and tenderness. But most importantly offers a terrifyingly realistic example of how rumors and bullying may seem innocent, but can start a chain of events with unpredictable and tragic consequences.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

- 5 stars

Junior is a teenager growing up on the Wellpinit Indian Reservation in Washington State – a terribly poor, hopeless world of alcoholic adults, fistfights and tragedy. But Junior is a little different than his classmates…he’s successful in school, a talented artist and a pretty good basketball player. But most of all, he actually dreams of a future off the reservation.

Things really start to change when he decides to transfer to a school in Reardon – the “rich, white school” in the town near the reservation. He finds himself caught in the middle of two worlds – truly a part-time Indian. His white classmates shun him because he’s Indian; his Indian friends shun him because he abandoned the reservation.

Part-Time Indian is told with humor and sarcasm and is full of Junior’s funny cartoon drawings
that are his way of dealing with the difficult life of the reservation. Read along as Junior struggles to overcome his tough upbringing and make something of his life.

Hunger Games

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

- 5 stars

Hunger Games is a gripping page-turner about a young girl named Katniss who lives with her mom and younger sister in a poor, remote area in the future country of Panem. Katniss is a hunter – she illegally enters the woods each day, gathers plants and shoots game to sell at the market and feed her family.

Each year in Panem, the Hunger Games are held and the whole nation watches on live television. The games are like the Olympics, but instead of athletic events the young children of Panem are turned loose in a huge arena with only one rule – whoever is left alive is the winner.

Read along as Katniss fights for her life – she must evade her opponents, find water and food, and face the truth that in order to live, everyone else has to die.

I am the Messenger

I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

- 5 stars

I Am the Messenger is a story about a 19-year-old Australian taxi driver named Ed Kennedy. Ed is an incredibly average person. He doesn’t have a glamorous well-paying job; he lives in a boring town; he hangs out with a group of slacker friends; and he’s in love with a girl who “just wants to be friends.”

Everything starts to change when Ed finds himself a minor hero after stopping a bank robbery and getting a mysterious ace of hearts card delivered to his mailbox. The cards he receives reveal messages, or “assignments” he’s supposed to do for people – some strangers, some close friends, some enjoyable, some painful. As the messages keep coming, he must keep working to solve the mystery of who is behind them and what they will finally reveal about himself.